


Obsession

by kaysweet92



Category: Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Genre: Creepy, Drama, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Happy Ending, Molestation, Rape, Repo The Genetic Opera, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-22 00:54:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/906982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaysweet92/pseuds/kaysweet92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the outside looking in, Nathan and Shilo have a normal life. Shilo is sick and he is a tender caring father that takes care of her and seeks a cure. But on the inside, Shilo is concerned, closed off, and terrified. Is Nathan really the father that he seems to be, or is there something dark lurking in the walls of their home, or worse...inside Nathan himself. (Please don't give up on my fic. It does get better. I promise.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Shilo clutched at her torch, moving through the musky, narrow passage hurriedly, as though she had done it thousands of times before. She glanced behind her, her ears telling her that she had heard something, but her eyes proving her wrong. She quickly approached the sliding door that led into her mother's crypt, moving it away and allowing her access to the small mausoleum. She hung the still flaming torch on the wall, and entered the crypt cautiously and quietly. She slid the door closed, checked her surroundings and then removed her gas mask. Knowing that it was risky to remove her only protection from the toxic air around her, Shilo felt it was wrong to wear the mask near her mother's grave site. She stashed the mask by the secret door and plopped down on a small step next to her mother's head stone. She took her bag off her shoulder, dumping its contents on the cold, stone floor next to her feet. Among the various items scattered by her feet were a small sandwich she had prepared before leaving her house and a book on insects. She flipped open the book and stared leafing through it, stopping at one page that was full of photographs. She turned the book towards the headstone and started talking to the air, attempting to tell her mother about her ever growing collection of bugs.

"This one here," she said, pointing a black coated fingernail at a picture on one of the pages. "I'm hoping to find one soon. They're hardly ever seen anymore, but I'm going to find one. Then my collection of coleoptera will be complete." She pointed at different pictures, her face lighting up at certain ones, and growing dark with others. She sat by her mother's grave for a long while, talking to what an outsider looking in would perceive as thin air and slowly eating her sandwich. She continued flipping though her book until she heard a strange scuttling sound. Her head shot up and she looked wildly around the room. There was a strange bug in the crypt, walking over the engraving on the headstone that spelled her mother's name. It looked like a cross between a scorpion and a beetle, its small wings fluttering lightly. The insect hurriedly moved around her, perching itself on the door behind her. Shilo scrabbled through her belongings that covered the floor to retrieve the canister she used to catch bugs and crept near the insect slowly. It moved quickly however and scuttled out the small window in the door.

Shilo stomped her foot in protest. "Damn it." she said, frustrated beyond believe. She peeked through the small window, eyeing the bug outside on the ground. It scuttled over to a nearby headstone and climbed the tattered structure. She took a deep breath in, preparing herself for what she knew was a bad idea.  _Okay, Shilo. Just go out, get the damned thing, and get back in here fast._  Shilo reached for the small door handle and opened the door, a gust of soft wind blew her raven black hair in different directions. She looked both left and right, ensuring that no one was outside, then walked down the stone steps. She readied her canister and lid, walking ever so slowly towards the small bug perched on the grave. As she grew closer to it, the bug turned and fluttered its wings, seemingly getting ready to take off in flight. With no time to lose thinking or being quiet, Shilo quickly stretched out her arm and entrapped the bug within her metal cup. A proud smile broke across Shilo's face as she slowly but surely slide the canister towards the edge of the headstone and closed the lid over the opening. She screwed it shut and went to turn around to make her way back to the tomb when she heard a noise come from behind the grave she had just been in front of.

Shilo peered over the unmarked headstone to find an odd looking man hunched over what seemed to be a corpse. He had long multicolored hair that hung over a pale face. His hands, which were currently examining the dead body between his legs, were slightly dusted with dirt and looked a little strange parting the features of the dead mans face. Although it was a little creepy to see a man hovering over a corpse in the middle of the night, Shilo could help but be interested in him. He wasn't thin, but wasn't overly plump either, though the mass of him could have been heightened by how many layers he had on.

"It's not very polite to stare." he said, never taking his eyes off the stiff body below him. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a strange looking needle. "You're interrupting my work with your peering eyes and making me terribly uncomfortable." He plunged the head of the needle into the nose of the lifeless corpse and began extracting a bright blue liquid from where ever it had punctured. As the vial of the needle filled, the expression on his face grew from blank to pure satisfaction. "There it is." he said with a smile.

For a moment, Shilo hesitated on whether or not she should come out of hiding, or just simply pretend that she hadn't heard him speak. After a few seconds of consideration she perked her head up a little from behind the tombstone. "Work?" Shilo questioned, her small voice nearly non-existent. What kind of job required a man to sneak around in graveyards and stab dead bodies with a needle.

The strange man removed the needle, wiping it briefly on his coat then returning it to his pocket. "Yes." he said, calmly, still not looking at her. He stood up slowly, his feet still on either side of his bucolic victim. "Work." He reached in his pocket and pulled out the needle again, unscrewing the tip and putting it back in his pocket. He held out the vial of shinning blue liquid and, finally, his eyes met hers. They were dark brown, his pupils nearly nonexistent. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, the bright blue glimmering in the moonlight.

Shilo emerged from behind the headstone, looking closely at the vial in his outstretched hand. After a few moments of careful consideration, she shook her head, an innocent look taking over her face and her cheeks threatening to turn pink from embarrassment.

The man tilted his head down slightly, as if to create a sense of suspense. "Freedom." he said. "A way to make all the pain go away. A chance," he held up his finger and paused for a few seconds. "To improve yourself." He brought the vial back towards him and stuffed it back in his pocket. He jumped up on a nearby tomb and began playfully walking along its edge. "Of course, the people I retrieve it for don't put it to that use." he said with a snicker.

Shilo watched as the fully grown man hopped up and down as he walked steadily along the edge of the coffin shaped had become so interested in this strange man that she had forgotten about the dangerous situation she had put herself in. "W-What do they use it for?" Shilo asked innocently.

The man stopped bouncing and promptly sat on the tomb on which he had just been standing. He looked up at the sky and placed his hands in his lap. "Recreational use mostly." he turned his head to the side as a bright light flashed in the sky. "Though I do think some of them come simply for the pleasure of," he paused and glanced over at Shilo, who to his eyes didn't look more than 14. "My company." he corrected. He had intended on making a playful joke about the sexual favors he received in exchange for Z, but noticing the girls obvious youth, he decided against it.

Shilo didn't really understand anything that this man was saying. He seemed to speak in riddles that were confusing and yet made perfect sense. It was maddening. "Who are you?" she asked, a puzzled expression on her face.

The man peered over at her and smiled, waving his hand in a circle in front of him and bowing slightly. "Graves at your service, ma'am." He straightened up and slid back down off the structure.

Shilo quirked her eyebrow. "Graves." she said, slowly and questionably.  _Oh, how original. A grave robber named Graves._

Graves walked slowly towards the young girl, attempting to look as mysterious as possible. In his experience, the more menacing he looked, the quicker people left him alone. All he wanted was to continue his work for the night in peace and without peering eyes. It was when he moved directly in front of her that he noticed the night guard walking along the path behind them, searching for grave robbers such as himself. A smirk cam across his face. He did love a challenge, and this promised to be a good night for ducking and diving through alleyways and doors.

Shilo caught graves staring at something behind them, she saw the light of a flashlight moving along the path that laid behind her and immediately ducked behind one of the headstones. Her head spun back to look at Graves, noticing that he wasn't moving at all, but just simply standing there watching the light grow closer and closer. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "You're gonna get us caught." She spoke as if she had something to hide just as much as he did.

Graves looked down at the girl crouching behind the gray stone and let out a small chuckle. He brought his attention back to the slow moving light and just when the guard came into view, he whistled. The guard looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the noise. His light moved all around and finally settled on Graves' face. Graves held up his hand and wiggled his fingers, the smile on his face never breaking.

Shilo looked up in him in horror, knowing that the guard would come this way now and find her. She peeked around the corner of the gravestone and watched as the guard moved slowly towards her right side. She looked in the direction of her mother's crypt, the door still slightly ajar. They hadn't set lock down yet. If she waited for the right moment, she could sneak past the guard and run back to the safety of the tunnel and make her way home.

"Yeah that's right," Graves said, playing with the guard. "Come and get me." He brought both of his hands in front of him and coxed the man to come closer.

The guard moved cautiously in between the grave Shilo hid behind and another. When he got close enough to Graves, he lunged, his flashlight dropping to the ground.

Graves bent down slightly, taking both hands and wrapping them around one of the guards arms. He swiftly swung the man over his head, a loud projection of excursion leaving his lips. The guard hit a nearby tomb, slumping to the ground and falling unconscious. As Graves straightened back up, the alarms started to sound.

Flashing lights consumed the graveyard and loud, long screeches escaped from the numerous speakers through the site. Shilo's eyes shot around as every exit in the graveyard sealed itself. She scrambled up from behind the headstone, frantically running towards her mother's crypt as the large wooden door slammed shut. "No!" she screamed, hitting the door with her hands and rattling the handle, trying desperately to gain access. She spun around starring at Graves. "It's locked! What have you done!?"

Graves smiled and looked around at the chaos he had created. As he heard the voices of more guards moving through the graveyard, he quickly bent down and grabbed the body he had victimized earlier. Slinging it over his shoulder, Graves ran out to the pathway and motioned to Shilo."This way kid." he said, moving towards a nearby wall. He gripped the fabric that was wrapped around his stiff companion and began slamming its head against the stone wall. A small area of the wall gave way and opened up.

Shilo watched as Graves dropped the body onto the ground and climbed through the hole in the wall he had made. Looking around and realizing she had no other choice, Shilo reluctantly followed. A strong smell swept through her nostrils and made her want to vomit. As she fell through the whole and onto the ground, she looked up. Piles and piles of dead bodies surrounded her and her strange new acquaintance. Some already decomposing, and some that looked as if they had been alive not even five minutes ago. Shilo brought her hand to her nose, attempting to keep the stench from traveling up her sensitive nostrils once again.

"Jackpot." Graves said, a tone of satisfaction in his voice. He pulled the needle from his pocket a third time and attached a new capsule. He bent down over the corpse of a woman, her shirt low cut and a scar traveling over the curves of her breasts. He shook his head as he examined the woman. "Breast augmentation," he traced a finger over the scar on her chest, then moved to another. "Stomach distention." His hand continued to move along her dead skin as he found each new surgery scar. "Hair removal, nose correction." He ceased tracing her scars and starred down at her. "And yet, still the same common blood flowing through your veins." He shook his head and inserted the head of his needle into the woman's nose, extracting more blue liquid.

Shilo watched him carefully, her heart still beating rapidly from the commotion she could still hear outside. "W-What is that?" she asked, motioning towards the needle.

Graves filled the capsule and removed his needle, unscrewing it again and holding the vial in front of his face. "This," he said, standing up and turning towards Shilo. "Is the 21st century cure," He held the vial in front of her face. "That has destroyed the planet." His voice got slightly deeper and concerned as the word 'destroyed' graced his lips.

Shilo eyed the shimmering vial and felt a strong urge to reach out and take from his hand. She leaned back against the wall, suddenty uncomfortable with how close he was getting to her. Then Shilo noticed something strange. It was quiet. Dead quiet. The guards were no longer making any noise, and this unnerved her. Had they gone? Or were they simply waiting for their prey to make enough noise to be found? Her curiousity getting the better of her, Shilo bent down and peeked around the corner of the hole they had crawled through. The graveyard showed no movement, and the air was stiff with the silence it was consumed in. She swallowed hard, contemplating emmerging into the graveyard and trying to get back into her mother's crypt.

Graves had busied himself with extracting his 'cure' from yet another body. As the vial filled and he stood up, he peered over his shoulder to she what his little leech had gotten into. When he saw her looking through his man-made entrance, he lunged for her. "No!" An arm reached through the hole and grabbed hold of Shilo's wrist. Grave scrambled to pulled her back through, but she had already disappeared throught the gaping hole. Acting quickly before he was caught as well, Graves ran off into a dark tunnel.  
Shilo was thrown to the ground in the middle of a circle of feet. She glanced up at the covered faces that surrounded her. "P-Please." she begged. "I-I-I didn't know. Please." The device around her wrist started beeping, setting off a reminder for Shilo to take her medication. "I didn't," She began to feel dizzy and nauseous. "I can't...can't breathe." It slowly became a struggle to keep her eyes open.

"Can't...breathe." As her eyes shut, a tall man in a dark trench coat and a helmet covering his face pushed through the crowd of guards surrounding her, forcing them farther away before finally bending down and placing a tender hand on her face. Her eyes close, darkness taking over and Shilo falling into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Shilo began to come to, he head pounding and her entire body aching with a pain she could describe. She had never gone so long without her medication and in all honesty should have and had planned on taking it before she left for the cemetery. Her eyes slowly cracked open, the warmth of her bed sinking into her skin as she regained consciousness. Her vision was blurry at first, the plastic sheets surrounding her bed making it all the more difficult to see. Her eyes focused and she looked around slowly, and attempted to sit up. Her head, which had just before been covered in long black hair, was now completely bare. As she scanned the room, her eyes caught a glimpse of something and locked on. A dark figure in the corner of her room moved towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder and slowly lowering her back down to the softness and safety of her mattress. She looked up at the face that hovered above her. "Dad?" she questioned, her voice raspy from not being used. The shadowy figure of her father moved to hover over her side table. "Dad, what happened?"

"Hush now." he said, picking up his stethoscope from the table and placing the buds over his ears. He gently moved the plastic sheet to allow him access to her bed and sat upon the edge. He held out the receiving end of the instrument moved it towards Shilo's chest. "You're alright."

"W-Was I outside?" she asked, placing a hand on her head, trying to calm her raging headache.

"Why would you think that?" Nathan prompted, gently the cold metal circle upon Shilo's bare skin.

Shilo remained quiet for a few moments, allowing her father to properly hear her heart beat, then began to speak when he pulled away from her. "There were these," she swallowed hard. "bodies."

He hushed her and moved away from the bed yet again, moving to another table to prepare her medication.

"They were all dead and," she paused, moving her hand down to rest on her stomach. "the smell." Her face scrunched just thinking about it and she nearly dry heaved. "I-It was horrible."

Nathan moved back over towards her bed. "You just missed your medication. It must have been a fever dream."

Shilo quickly turned frantic. "I-I-I couldn't have dreamt it. I-It f-felt so real." She sat up quickly. "I could s-smell them and t-there was this...man"

Nathan handed her a long, black wig, coaxing her to put it on. "Enough. You'll work yourself up. Just drop it."

Shilo spoke again, nearly yelling. "It was real! I know it was! I could smell the death!"

Nathan shot towards her, hovering over her like a cloud. "Enough! You could have di...You scared me to death!"

Shilo jumped slightly and slumped down in her bed. She hated yelling, especially when it was coming from her father. But something about the way he was speaking to her worried her, like it wasn't even him at all. A sudden chill traveled down her spine.

Nathan looked down into his daughters eyes, noticing her discomfort. He sat down on the edge of her bed and placed a hand on the one she had rested on her stomach. "You know you're not supposed to be outside." he said, somewhat calmer than before but still with a sharp tone. He looked down at his own hand and gave hers a slight squeeze. "And associating with men," he squeezed her hand a little harder. "is most certainly not allowed."

Shilo's heart beat quickened and her entire body started to shake.  _Not now. No. Please._  She attempted to pull her hand from beneath his, but it only caused him to squeeze it tighter, causing Shilo to wince from temporary pain. "I-I," she stuttered, nearly unable to speak. "I-I-I."

Nathan ran his thumb over the back of Shilo's hand a few times, then released it completely, bringing his hand down to rest on her thigh, his eyes following his hand and never meeting Shilo's. "This man," he began, his hand briefly moving up and down over the blanket that covered her legs. "Did he touch you?"

Shilo shifted in her bed, trying to make it impossible for him to touch her. "I-I-I-I." The movement of her leg caused the hand upon it to press down hard, keeping it in place.

"That's not an answer." he said harshly, his hand still holding her leg down.

Shilo swallowed hard again, attempting to pull herself together so she could speak."I-I," she paused and took a breath. "N-No." Her voice was raspy and she couldn't stop shaking.

His hand moved down her thigh slightly, grasping at her knee cap. "Good." he said, his head finally moving to look at her. His piercing eyes stared into hers, making her cringe internally. They weren't her father's eyes. Not even close. They were dull and lifeless, barely human. "No one touches you." he stared endlessly into her eyes, a sinister smirk on his lips and his voice raspy and deep. He leaned closer to her, causing his hand to move up her leg again and rest on the curve of her hip. "Ever."

Shilo couldn't move. Her entire body locked up as soon as the weight of his hand moved to her hip. She stared back into his eyes, unable to look away but desperately searching for the courage to. This was not her father. It was...him.

After a few moments, his eyes broke from hers and return to his hand. He trailed a finger along her waist then stood up swiftly, walking slowly to the other end of the room and staring into her fireplace.

All Shilo could do was stare, his silhouette tall, dark, and terrifying. She sat completely still, afraid that movement would lead to more unwanted touching.

"Get up." he said harshly, his voice booming through the deafening quiet.

Shilo jumped yet again and stayed in place. She couldn't...wouldn't move. Beneath the covers all of her clothing had been removed and replaced with a white nightgown that barely covered her the area below her waist.

"Get," he said, a warning tone in his voice. "up."

Still shaking, Shilo reluctantly sat up and slid towards the edge of her bed, keeping her blanket on her legs as long as humanly possible. She sat there for a few moments, hoping that this would be good enough for him, though the previous experiences told her otherwise.

"All the way, girl." He never turned to look at her, but by the sounds of her movement could tell she was still sitting upon the bed.

Now trembling, Shilo attempted to stand, the blanket trickling off her legs and falling back onto the mattress. Her knees nearly gave out and hands moved in front of her, attempting to cover up what may or may not have been showing.

Content with the noises he hand heard, he turned around and looked the shivering child up and down. "Good girl." he said softly.

Shilo could feel tears welling up in her eyes.  _Why now? Why tonight? Why at all? Why?_  A single tear fell from the corner of one of her eyes and fell swiftly down her cheek. She tried so desperately not to cry. Tried to be strong and brave like she had always hoped she could be, but her emotions overcame her will and she began to sob.

"Don't cry, precious." he said, the harsh tone still heavy in his voice. He moved swiftly towards her, his eyes locked on her weeping face. A good enough distance away from her, he reached a hand out and attempted to wipe a tear from her cheek, the gesture anything but nurturing.

On instinct, Shilo smacked his hand away from her before it could make contact, immediately regretting the action. Now even more terrified, she slowly looked up at him, fearful of what he might do now that she had angered him.

His eyes went from piercing and cruel to menacing and wrathful. His hand raised up next to head, causing the quivering girl to hunch down and shield herself with her arms. After a few seconds of contemplating the swing, his arm fell slowly back down to his side, a slight chuckle escaping from his mouth. He moved closer to her, placing a hand upon her shoulder and using the other to lift her chin up so she was looking at him.

Confused and reluctant, Shilo allowed him to lift her head and tried to avoid looking at his eyes. She couldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard she tried the simple fact that he was breathing on her unnerved her, let alone touching. She remained still.

He examined her face, fresh tears still streaming from her eyes though her expression remained vacant. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears, but the glisten protruding from them intrigued him. He leaned his head forward, slowly, pressing his lips to her forehead and moving a hand to the back of her head.

Shilo jumped as he kissed her and thought about pulling away, but the threat of an actual swing to her face still hung in the air. She stood there, feeling helpless and alone and hoping that it would all be over soon.

He kept his lips pressed to her head for about a minute, breathing in slowly and taking in the sweet nectar of her skin. His fingers curled through her hair as he moved his head away from hers. He removed his hand gently from her head and walked towards the door, turning around briefly to look her up and down once more before walking through the door and shutting it behind him.

Shilo stood alone in her room, still trembling and slightly confused. Why had he left, and when he returned would it still be him, or the loving father she so desperately longed for. She cautiously moved to her bed and sat upon the edge, still facing the door so she could stand up quickly if he were to enter again. Her eyes unable to produce anymore tears and her mind swirling with thoughts of only her horror, Shilo got lost in thought. She thought about her father. Sweet, nurturing, and kind. His soft voice helping her through the guilt she felt about her mother on many an occasion. His tender embrace holding her close to him when she cried. The stories that he used to tell her before she fell asleep. The her thoughts moved to...him. His breath hot against the nape of her neck. His words stinging and making her quiver in fear. His body heavy on top of her. The years and years of abuse that she had suffered. Although they shared the same body, the man that had harmed her time and time again was not her father. He was something darker. A force that had taken over her loving father around the same time Shilo turned 13. He was dark and menacing and terrified her. Out of the handful of times she had tried to put a stop to it by telling her father, he had always insisted that she was delirious and insisted that she take some more medication and it would away. That she should sleep it off and when she awoke it would all be okay. She tried desperately to believe him, but each time it didn't broke her heart and terrified her even more.

A sound coming from the hallway broke her away from her thoughts. She could hear footsteps growing closer to her room and thought of him even entering her room again made her cringe. She stiffened up, hoping to god that the man that walked in was her father. She didn't think she couldn't handle anymore trauma tonight. As the handle turned and the door began to open, Shilo felt herself take a breath and hold it in.

He entered the room to find the girl sitting at the foot of her bed, hands in her lap and her head hanging down. She didn't look up to greet him, which frustrated him. He moved through he doorway and let it close behind him.

Shilo raised her head slightly, looking up at his face. She searched desperately for his eyes, but where he was standing prevented her from seeing them clearly. The top half of his face was consumed by darkness and his arms were crossed behind his back. There was something different about him. Not about his mannerisms or the way he stood, but his clothing. He looked disheveled and somewhat thrown together, not like he had prior to leaving her room.

He drew closer to her, still lurking in the shadows of her bedroom. "I hope you appreciate what I've done." he said, motioning towards his clothing. "Just let it be known that I did it purely for my own personal satisfaction and not your own."

Shilo lifted her head a little more, narrowing her eyes in confusion and watching him move to her side. She was confused and still extremely terrified.

"You are in no state to satisfy my needs due to your careless actions tonight, and although I generally wouldn't care I don't need you broke for the next time I intend to," he paused, stopping in his tracks and giving her a wicked grin. "satisfy myself."

A shiver flew down Shilo's spine. He still had not clearly stated what he meant, but Shilo got the general idea. He would leave her alone tonight, and though it frightened her that she didn't know the reason why, she was extremely relieved and let out a deep breath.

Realizing the child's relief, he stalked towards her, bending down and lowering his head so his mouth was level to her ear. "Don't take this as an opportunity to save yourself. Next time I will not be lenient." He lowered his voice to a soft whisper and spoke again. "Until tomorrow night, precious." He placed a rough kiss to her cheek and walked over to the fireplace, staring into it once again.

A single tear fell down Shilo's cheek, though no other's followed. She felt the lump in her throat move as she swallowed and attempted to collect herself. After a few moments of sitting in silence, she wearily crawled back up her mattress and layed down, immersing herself in her blankets and hiding her face from the world.

Nathan turned around and saw his daughter laying peacefully in bed. He quietly moved towards the door and opening it slowly, turning around before he exited the room completely. "Sleep tight, Shi." he whispered sweetly, closing the door behind him.

Shilo heard the soft sweet voice of her father as he exited the room and began to relax. At least she'd be able to sleep soundly tonight, knowing that nothing lurked in the shadows waiting to pounce. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but her head was still swimming with thoughts of...him. As she drifted off, his last words flew through her mind like a piercing knife.  _Until tomorrow night, precious._


	3. Chapter 3

Shilo had returned to the safety and comfort of her mother's crypt once again. After last night, she needed to get away, and her mother's grave had always been a very peaceful place for her. No one bothered her. No one spoke. No one even knew she was there. She sat against the wall under one of the barred windows, her legs bent up and a book layed upon them. She scanned page after page, turning to another after she had finished with the previous one. She had prepared herself another sandwich and was content with just sitting by her mother and reading. She had never really had any friends. Being home schooled and not allowed to exit the house somewhat prevented her from meeting people. In all honesty, the only people she knew were her father and the mysterious man from the night before that had tried to help her. Graves, she thought, trying to make sense of the fact that the man had actually introduced himself with that name. Did he have a real name and he was just toying with her? Was it a nickname? Shilo shook it off and tried to continue reading her book, but the story was of no interest to her anymore. She placed her bookmark and closed the novel, shoving it in her back and pulling out her drawing pad. She glanced at her watch as she placed the pad in her lap and noted the time. She hadn't been gone too long and her father was probably still at work. She could spare another hour at least. She flipped the small pad open, retrieving a pencil from her bag and beginning to sketch.

Graves walked along the path of the graveyard, a hop in his step and whistling a somewhat morbid tune. His hands were in his pockets as he walked, gently kicking pebbles and trying to eye his next target. He never robbed the same area twice, that would create suspicion and inevitably lead to him being apprehended, which would be bad for business. He could very well peddle his product from behind bars. As his eyes scanned the yard, a crypt caught his eye. It was a small stone building, almost bereft of light, but not completely. The fire from within flickered through the windows and the large wooden door in front was cracked and worn out. He started to move towards it, twisting his needle through his fingers from inside his pocket.  _A new target. Perfect._  A smirk came across his face as the prospect of new 'acquaintance' flew through his mind. He stopped in his tracks and narrowed his brows.  _Good god, man. You need friends_.

Shilo continued to move her pencil along the clean, white paper of her sketch pad. She stopped momentarily to take a bite of her tuna, then continued. Her drawing was now just lightly traced lines and circles, but Shilo's swift movements along the paper indicated that she knew where the sketch was going. Her head shot up as she heard a sound from outside in the yard. She attempted to look out the small window in the door, arching her neck but not standing up. She listened closely for a few seconds. Hearing no other noises, she returned her attention to her pad, taking a another bite of her sandwich and chewing slowly.

As he grew closer to the tiny structure, Graves slowed his pace. Visions from the night earlier flashed through his mind.  _The girl_ , he thought. He took a second look at the large wooden door, his eyes widening.  _She ran to this door, this one specifically. Why?_  He quickened his pace again, coming up to the door and peering through the small window. There she was, nestled against the wall and fiddling with something in her lap. He remained there for a moment, looking her over. The outfit she wore confused him. While the bottom half was extenuating and slightly revealing, her short skirt barely covering the tops of her legs. Yet the top half showed little to nothing. Her shirt went all the way up to her neck, ruffles spilling over her chest and ending just before her stomach. He grimaced. He enjoyed breasts, yet nearly every woman he had seen that wasn't a prostitute insisted on hiding them away. "What are you doing?" he asked, still peeking through the window.

Shilo jumped at the sound of a voice echoing through her mother's tomb. Her head popped up and her eyes darted around the room. She looked in every corner of the room, yet she still appeared to be alone. As she searched the room, she caught the tiny shape of a face peeking through the window in the door. She moved her head towards the door, squinting her eyes and trying to make out who was speaking to her. "G-Graves?" she questioned, unsure of what she was seeing.

Graves let out a small chuckle and reached down to open the door, but the handle wouldn't budge. His brows narrowed and he tried harder, furiously shaking the handle in every direction as if movement would cause the door to open with ease.

"It's locked." Shilo said simply, watching Graves continue to fondle with the door handle. Although she found it somewhat amusing that he was still trying to get in after she told him it was locked, Shilo couldn't help but wonder why exactly he wanted in so badly.

Graves looked up at Shilo and smirked. "I think I figured that one out on my own, kid." He said simply, finally letting go of the handle. "Why don't you let me in? We could have a little fun." Graves smiled widely, and wiggled his eyebrows, which caused a laugh to force its way from Shilo's lips.

"I don't think so." Shilo placed her pad at her side and stood up slowly, brushing her skirt down and walking towards the door. She crossed her arms and looked out the window at Graves, attempting to put on a stern face. "You could have gotten us both killed last night."

Graves put a hand to his chest, in a gesture that said 'who? me?', his mouth agape.

Shilo rolled her eyes and snorted, not affected by Graves' play acting at all, and continued to stare out the window at him. She searched her mind for something more to say, but came up with nothing.  
Graves stepped a little closer to the door, resting his chin on the frame of the window and staring into the girls eyes. "You know," he started, pointing a long dusty finger at her. "You never told me your name."

"Well we didn't really have time for introductions thanks to you."

"Not true." Graves pointed out, grasping one of the bars on the window. "You know my name."

"Well, I would have told you mine if you hadn't antagonized the guard and forced them to lock this place down." Shilo continued to stare at him, her arms still crossed and attempting to hold her ground.  
Graves let out a slight chuckle and stepped back a little from the door, his hand still grasping the bar of the window. He could sense that the young girl was not impressed with his attempts to appeal to her, and began to back down. "It's...entertainment." he said, waving his free hand around in the air a little to make his statement more dramatic. After he was finished speaking, he released the bar from his grip, stepping back further from the door and giving her another of his playful bows as he stepped backwards. As he stood up again, he shot a smile at her, as if to say goodbye, then turned and began to walk down the path once again.

Shilo watched silently for a moment as he walked away, honestly expecting him to turn around and come up with something else to say to her. When he showed no signs of returning, Shilo yelled to him. "Y-You're actually going to leave?" she asked, immediately regretting it and wishing she could erase what she had just said. She didn't want to sound like some desperate puppy longing for attention from behind the cage door, but she was lonely, and he was the only other person she had interacted with besides her father.

Graves stopped in his tracks as her small voice flew through his ears. He spun around, pivoting only his body and looking back at her, a surprised expression on his face. "Yes." he said, his brows narrowed in question. "We can't hope to have a very stimulating conversation through a window, kid."  
Shilo reached down and and grabbed the handle of the door, considering opening it and walking into the dark, musky graveyard. After careful consideration and thoughts of the night before swimming through her mind, she let the handle go and brought her hand up to the window, grasping the bar that he had grasped just moments before. "Can't we try?" she asked quietly, hoping that her timid voice would carry enough for him to hear. "I-I can't be outside. I shouldn't have been last night." she paused, wondering to herself why she was about to share personal information with a complete stranger. "I'm sick."

Graves remained in his spot for a moment, straining to hear what she was saying to him. He began to walk towards her again slowly, but stopped after a few feet. "Then let me in. I promise," He raised a hand to his chest and tilted his head a bit, trying to appear sincere. "I won't bite."

For a moment, Shilo questioned her morals as she considered letting a strange man into her mother's crypt. She longed for conversation that wasn't pertaining to medication...or other things, but she wasn't about to subject herself to a man she didn't know anything about further than his name. From last night, she had concluded that while he was friendly and a little spontaneous, he was also potentially dangerous and a bad influence. "I can't." she said, peering over at him. "This is...my mother's grave. It wouldn't be right."

Graves nodded. "In that case," he gave her another signature bow and a smile. "Until our paths cross again, nameless beauty." He turned on his heels again and started down the dirt path a final time, picking up the song he'd been whistling earlier as he walked.

Shilo got as close to the door as she could, both hands grasping the bars of the small window. "Shilo!" she called out after him. "M-My name is Shilo." Unsure if he had heard her or not, she stepped back from the door, alone again and probably late getting home. She walked over to her things that covered a small area of the floor and began packing them back into her carrying bag.

"Goodnight," Graves called out. "Shilo." He stared at the tomb for a few seconds, waiting to see if she would respond. The light protruding from the windows of the tomb continued to flicker, a small shape moving through them. As he examined the door of the tomb, the faint outline of a long raven black hair and pale skin brought a smile to his face.

"Goodnight, Graves." Shilo called out quietly. With her belongings gathered in her bag and her mask ready in her hand, Shilo walked to the back of the tomb and opened the hidden door, looking back momentarily and smirking before she disappeared into the narrow tunnel to make her way home.


	4. Chapter 4

Shilo quietly approached the end of the tunnel, light seeping from a crack in the wall. She stopped just before the wall, bending down and squinting to see through the tiny crack. Large wooden walls and a wide staircase came into view. She could see the front door, the stain glass window sparkling with the light from the street outside. Shilo softly pushed at the wall and it came loose, moving slowly as she did and softly creaking as the hings turned. Shilo ceased the movement of the door, stepping through it and carefully closing it behind her, making sure it snapped into place before she turned around and made for the stairs. She bent down just before the railing of the stairs on her left met her head, peeking through the wooden bars and scanning her surroundings. The small living room showed no signs of movement, the fireplace bereft of light and the furniture undisturbed. She glanced over to her right, the door to the kitchen closed and her father's jacket missing from the coat hanger. He hadn't returned yet, Shilo let out a soft sigh of relief and began to climb the staircase, remaining cautious in her movements. When she reached the first landing, she peered over her shoulder, the feeling of eyes watching her sending a shiver up her spine. There appeared to be no one but her in the house, but she just couldn't shake the feeling.  


Shaking her head, Shilo continued to climb the stairs, making her way to her bedroom. She reached the top and began down the dark, winding hallway that led to her room. Numerous portraits of her mother covered the walls as she walked, their image slightly rotating as she moved, seeming to follow her movements. The hologram pictures that plastered her home freaked her out a little. Their house was almost a shrine to her mother, and while she had always wished she could have known her, Shilo didn't really see the need for there to be so many photos. Every room of their house had at least one photo of her mother in it, including her own. As Shilo reached the door to her room, she felt eyes on her again, spinning around and checking behind her once more before turning the door knob. No one.

Safely in her room with the door shut and locked as her father had left it, Shilo pulled the plastic sheet away from the foot of her bed and dumped her bag out onto the mattress. She began to sort through the various things that had poured out of it, and organizing them based on where they belonged in her room. Her belongings neatly placed in small piles, Shilo hung her bag on a nail that protruded from one of the posts on her bed, stretching her arms out and looking down at her clothes. She was filthy. Dust, dirt, and cobwebs were strewn all over her shirt and skirt, small strands of web hanging from her tights and wrapping around her legs. A faint scent caught her attention and she reached up and grabbed part of her shirt, pulling it up to her nose and inhaling the scent. She smelled like the graveyard.

Realizing that she would have to change before her father returned, Shilo wrapped her arms around her waist and grabbed either side of her shirt, pulling it swiftly over her head and tossing it to the floor. She hurriedly wiggled out of her skirt and tights and kicked them off to the side to join her shirt, her shoes following and leaving her standing at the foot of her bed in nothing but her undergarments. She re-positioned her wig, which had fallen from her head upon removing her shirt and walked over to her dresser on the right side of her bed.

As Shilo fumbled through the drawers of her dresser looking for something to put on, she heard the faint sound of a key sliding into the lock on her door. She spun around, eyeing the door handle as it started to shift and turn. In a panic, Shilo scrambled to find something to cover herself. "Just a minute, dad!" she called out. "I'm not decent!" The man behind the door grew silent and stopped fumbling with the door handle, though Shilo could tell that he stood there by the shadows beneath the door. Then the man spoke, his dark, menacing voice sending a chill down Shilo's spine.

"That's not a problem, precious." he said, turning the door handle and pushing the large wooden door into the room. His eyes searched until he found her, clothes strewn on the floor around her and a very small blouse held against her chest, attempting to cover her body. He looked her up and down, his eyes not missing a single detail of her curvaceous silhouette in the dimly lit room. Before his eyes found hers again, he let out a soft groan of approval.

Shilo stared at the man in her doorway that masqueraded as her father. She clutched the blouse closer to her chest, trying to adjust it as much as possible so she wasn't showing anything. Her eyes darted towards her bed and she began to move towards it to crawl beneath the shielding safety of her blanket.

"Ah ah ah." he said, holding up a single finger and wiggling it slightly. "I do not recall permitting you to move." He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, ensuring that it locked behind him and shoving the small brass key into his pocket. He stalked towards her, his head moving side to side as he tried to see as much of her exposed skin as possible.

Shilo swallowed hard, tears stinging the back of her eyes and threatening to fall on her cheeks. She continued to hold onto the blouse, now to terrified to move or speak. She avoided eye contact with him, hoping that it would deter him from taking further action tonight and allow him to leave her be.  


He stopped walking a mere 5 feet from her, looking her up and down once more than holding his arm out towards her, a sly, evil smile on his face. "I'll be requiring that blouse, if you please." he said, his voice deep and raspy.

Shilo's eyes widened, her pulse quickening and her entire body shaking.  _Oh, god_ , she thought.  _Anything but that._  Her hands began to shake as she obeyed him, slowly removing the blouse from her chest and inching it through the air towards his outstretched hand. Him commanding her to allow him to...see only meant one thing. She wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

As the fabric of the blouse touched his fingers he grabbed it, pulling towards him and throwing it to the floor. A cruel chuckle escaped from his mouth as the trembling child before him attempted to cover herself with her arms. He looked over her body once more, his eyes now free to roam where ever they pleased. The curve of her breasts beneath her bra, her lace panties hugging her waist and hips enough to drive him mad, her luscious legs trembling in fear and nearly giving out on her. Her terror excited him and her beauty drove him wild.  _If this damned father figure wasn't in my way, she'd be mine._  He continued simply staring at her for a few moments, taking in every inch of her body with his eyes, his pants becoming uncomfortably tight. "Now," he started, his voice gruff and commanding. "The rest as well."

Shilo looked at him, her face completely drained of color and her eyes widened with terror. "W-What?"

"You heard me." he said, more stern now and staring at her with piercing eyes.

Shilo wrapped her arms around her body tighter, protecting herself and refusing to move. She couldn't...no...she  _wouldn't_  do this. She looked down the floor, the black hair of her wig successfully covering her face and shielding her eyes from seeing him.

He stalked closer to her, taking only a few steps and then stopping just close enough so she could sense his presence. "I know you're not going to be as stupid as to disregard an order. If you will not obey," he paused, reaching a hand out to her and gently pulling at the strap of her bra. "I'll do it for you." He pulled hard on the strap, one cup falling off her breast and the strap draping on her shoulder.

Shilo gasped in pain as the bra snapped back against her bare skin and jumped backwards. Her shaking hands moved behind her, unclasping her bra and sliding it off her shoulders slowly. Tears stung her eyes and fell down her face, stinging her hot cheeks. As the loose garment fell to the floor, her emotions over came her and she began to sob, unable to hold her composure anymore. Still shaking uncontrollably, Shilo pulled the last remaining piece of clothing off her body and stood very still. Her entire body was trembling and the tears in her eyes were making it difficult for her to see.

Before she knew it, she was laying in her bed atop her blankets, completely exposed and sobbing. His bare body hovered over hers and she diverted her eyes, locking them on a single photo of her mother that stood on her side table. She wouldn't pay attention, wouldn't even react. She couldn't. She laid there helpless, unable to move even if she wanted to, his strong hands holding her firm on the bed as he touched where ever he pleased. One last tear fell from her eye, dripping down onto her pillow. She closed her eyes and tried to go somewhere else, anywhere else, just until tonight was over.


	5. Chapter 5

Shilo awoke the next morning, her entire body numb and aching. Her eyes fluttered open, immediately searching the room for a dark figure. Finding her bedroom to be empty, Shilo let out a sigh of relief, gently sitting herself up and resting against the head-board. Her hands traveled to her waist, wrapping around her hips and squeezing gently. A slight throbbing pain was traveling up and around her waistline. She laid still for a few minutes, listening closely for any sign of movement in the hallway. Another sigh of relief. Shilo sat up slowly, keeping one hand placed gently around her waist as she climbed out of bed. Perhaps a shower would rid her of the aching pain and the disgusting feeling that draped over her.

Shilo quietly collected the things she would need for her shower, making sure to be very quiet as to not alert the house that she awake. Items in hand, Shilo walked over to her bathroom door, gently opening it and stepping inside. Shilo had always felt safe in her bathroom, it being the only room in the house that her father didn't have a key for. She placed her clothing on the small shelf on the wall and closed the door, sliding the lock in place and turning to begin preparing for her shower. She turned both nozzles on the wall, water spilling from the faucet and into the bathtub. Making sure to test the water a few times and adjust the temperature, Shilo pulled the plug on top of the faucet, forcing the water to flow through the shower head instead.

She began to strip off her clothes, tossing them to a far corner of the room as she took them off and removing her wig. As the room began to fill with steam, Shilo looked back at that door briefly, ensuring that it was locked, then stepped into the shower, her legs being hit by the warm and welcoming water. She stood still for a few seconds, allowing her feet and calves to adjust to the new temperature before slowly immersing the rest of her body underneath the flowing stream. The water cascaded over her body, making her muscles and nerve endings relax completely and helping her to forget about all the troubles in her life. Shilo loved the water. She loved the feeling that it gave her, and the sound of the rushing water from the shower head drowned out everything else, making her feel like she was in her own little world for just a little while. Shilo gently hummed to herself, submerging herself completely under the water and closing her eyes. A long over due smile appeared on her face. Her mind was at ease and she felt safe, even if it was just for now.

As Shilo finished with her shower, she felt more relax then she had in a while. She shut the water off and exited the shower, her mirror about the sink completely fogged from the steam and the room slightly misty. She grabbed her towel off the small rack to her left side, gently beginning to dry herself off and humming quietly to herself. She paused a couple times, listening closely to the sounds of the house before continuing. Her body now completely dry, Shilo walked over to the shelf that held her clothing, selecting the items that needed to be put on first and began dressing herself. As she adjusted her shirt and skirt so they were properly placed on her body, there was a gentle knock on the door. Shilo's entire body tensed up, her head whipping around to stare at the closed door. She quickly directed her gaze to the bolt lock on the door frame, ensuring that it was still in place before speaking softly. "Y-Yes?" she said, praying that it was her father knocking and not his alter ego.

"Shi?" Nathan said, his head tilting to the side to allow his ear to get closer to the door. "Are you alright? You've been in there most of the morning."

Shilo smiled gently and let out a sigh of relief, her father's voice soothing her nerves and forcing her to calm down. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just enjoying the water. I'll be out in a second." she said, her voice cheery and welcoming as she wiped the fog from the mirror so she could see herself properly. Shilo reached down, opening a small door under the sink to reveal her make-up.

Nathan smiled and stepped back a bit from the door. "Alright. I've fixed breakfast so I'll be down in the kitchen when you're ready. Don't take to long or it'll go cold." he said, walking away from the door and proceeding to the one that lead to the hall.

"Okay." Shilo called out, selecting her eyeliner from the drawer and beginning to apply it to her face. As she applied her make-up for the day, Shilo's nerves eased slightly. She was happy that her father would be waiting for her in the kitchen, but there was still that fear that the monster within would surface at any second. The fear taunted her, and wouldn't let her go. Only when she was out of the house and away from her loving father did she feel safe, and the simple thought of that hurt her. She never wanted to be afraid of her father, but over the years she had found herself avoiding him at all costs, and she could tell that he was starting to feel that she resented him. She wanted desperately to be able to tell him the truth, but she knew that telling him would only get her committed or put on more unnecessary medication.

After finishing in the bathroom, Shilo unlocked the door and made her way down to the kitchen, holding her breath and hoping that her father still had control. As the kitchen door came into view, Shilo let out the breath she had been holding and collected herself, grasping the door handle in her hand and opening the door slowly.

"Hello, sweetheart." Nathan said, a smile painted across his face as he put the finishing touches on their breakfast and laid the plates upon the small table. "I hope you're hungry. There's enough food here to feed an army." He chuckled lightly and took a seat, waiting patiently for Shilo to join him at the table.

Shilo smiled back at her father and moved towards the empty chair opposite him, pulling it out before sitting and dragging it closer to the table with her feet. She picked up the serving spoon and filled her plate with some eggs, pancakes, and sausage before dousing her entire plate with syrup and digging into the miraculous looking plate with her fork. With a mouthful of a pancake and egg mix, she peered up at her father, managing as much of a smile as she could before beginning to chew. She chuckled a bit and swallowed the food that was in her mouth, dabbing her mouth with a napkin and reaching out to grab the glass of orange juice he had set next to her plate. "Thanks, Dad." she said, before taking a swig of her juice and placing the glass down on the table.

Nathan smiled over at his daughter as she devoured her food, a snicker escaping his lips as he took small bite of eggs and pushed his food around his plate with his fork. "You're welcome, sweetheart." he said, looking over at her and flashing her another smile. They hadn't spent time together like this in a while. Shilo was always either locked in her room drawing or blasting some sort of noise that she called music. They hadn't actually shared a meal together in months, and he was very glad that she actually came down stairs and was willing to sit down at the table with him.

They continued to eat their breakfast in silence, exchanging smiles and nods as the scarfed down the delicious food and simply enjoyed each others presence. As the meal came to an end, Shilo wasn't sure what to do next. She knew her father was probably hoping to spend some more time together other than 30 minutes of a short quiet breakfast, but she couldn't take the chance of Him coming out and ruining the best start of the day she'd had in months. "I, uh, I have some writing to do upstairs." she said, a smirk grazing her face as she stood and began to walk towards the door. "I'll, uh," she turned back towards him when she got to the doorway, peering over the door frame at him staring longingly back at her, his eyes telling her that he had hoped she would stay a little longer. "I'll see you later, dad." She gave him another smile and walked out, the door slowly creaking closed behind her as she walked up the staircase. She was going to see her mother, before He came to her again. She needed an escape to remove the thoughts of last night from her mind.

Safe in her room with the door locked and bolted, Shilo began to pack her bag slowly. She glanced back at her door every so often, feeling guilty having left her father sitting alone in the kitchen. She would make it up to him, someday, one day, when he wasn't sick. She slung her packed bag over her shoulder and prepared to leave, trying to keep as quiet as possible as she descended the staircase again and moved towards the secret passage in the wall that lead to her mother's tomb. She pushed the hidden door open slowly, praying that it wouldn't creak and entered the narrow passage, giving one last look at the kitchen door before she closed herself in and turned to walk down the path.


	6. Chapter 6

After spending a long while drawing in her mothers small tomb, Shilo began to get restless. She could here the business of the streets outside the graveyard. People talking, venders shouting out the prices of their merchandise. She stood slowly and moved towards the door, peering through the small window and gazing out of it, trying to hear as much as she could.

The more she heard, the more Shilo longed to be outside the walls of the graveyard, walking through the streets and absorbing any and all experiences she could. Before she knew it, her bag was packed again and slung over her shoulder, her hand grasping the small handle on the door of the tomb. She took in a deep breath preparing herself and exited the tomb, closing the door behind her and ensuring that it wasn't locked so she would have a way to get back home safely. She pulled her bag higher onto her shoulder, looking towards the gates of the graveyard as she began to walk forward with purpose, determined to have at least one small adventure tonight and who knew, maybe make a friend for once.

The gate of the graveyard creaked loudly as she pushed it open, a man riding a bike nearly colliding with her as she emerged from behind the safety of the gate. The man screamed unintelligible words at her, a few curses coming out through the babel as her continued cycling fast down the narrow street. Her heart now slightly racing due to the fact that she was almost run over my a cyclist, Shilo pushed the gate closed again and looked down each side of the street, trying to decide which way to go. The way the cyclist had gone was to her right, dark and gloomy looking with hardly any lighting at all and to her left, a brightly lit street with numerous people walking past the opening of the street she was currently on.

Shilo looked back and forth, honestly torn on which way to go. On the one hand, she didn't really want to be around to many people, just in case her father happened to be out and about and caught her roaming the streets alone. On the other hand, the darkness of the path to her left made her feel slightly uneasy. Shilo took a deep breath...and turned right, walking away from the cheery street to her left and into the unsettling darkness of the southern part of the city.

As the sound of the hustle and bustle behind her died down, she could hear the sounds of the people in the alleys echoing throughout the streets, each cough and whisper sending a slight shiver down her spine. She turned down a few streets, each turned making her realize that the buildings to her sides were slowly getting closer together. Suddenly, a voice echoed out from a nearby alleyway, making her jump slightly as a familiar sounding voice spoke to her.

"Hey, kid." Graves said, leaning up against the brick wall of a building and gazing over at the girl with concern on his face. He moved towards her, looking up and down the street a bit before stopping in front of her. "What are you doing down here?" he asked, just before grabbing her arm gently and beginning to lead her down the street. "You shouldn't be down her by yourself." he said, sounding a little bit like a concerned father as he walked her down the street.

Shilo kept her eye on Graves's face, wondering exactly why he was concerned about her. They had only met twice, and in the same setting. It's not as if they even had a lengthy conversation. "I can take care of myself." she said, gently removing her arm from his grip and beginning to walk away from him. She got a few feet before she bumped into another pedestrian, a disheveled looking man with a beard. He smelled like old cheese and vodka and began to glare at her with piercing eyes. Shilo felt a shiver run up her spine and she backed away slowly, her hands grabbing at the air behind her in search of the fabric of Graves's coat. As she felt the rough material on her finger tips, Shilo turned quickly, moving swiftly behind Graves and peaking around his arm, almost using him as a shield of protection against the strange man that was staring at her.

Graves chuckled a bit and tilted his head back, looking down at Shilo and smiling at her. "I can see that. And you're doing a fine job of it, but why don't I accompany you none the less." He gave a quick glance back to the bum as he began to walk away then turned his body so he was facing Shilo. "Come on." he said, flashing her a smile. "You can run an errand with me."

Shilo carefully considered going with Graves before realizing that aside from her father he was honestly the only other person that she knew. While their encounters were brief, they were very pleasant and the fact that he cared enough about her already to try and protect her eased her nerves enough to follow him.

They walked down a few streets before stopping just before a small alley way. Graves looked up and down the street for a couple seconds before taking Shilo's hand and ducking into the narrow passage, stopping only when they reached the other side and were greeted by the faces of numerous prostitutes.

Shilo looked around the alley, slightly confused and a little terrified. She had never seen a prostitute, let alone this many, and couldn't help but wonder what kind of errand Graves had to run that concerned women of the night. She glanced back at Graves briefly before one of the women blocked her view, standing very close to her with tired eyes and a vacant expression, her blonde hair piled messily on the back of her head. He arms were covered in red fish net and he outfit didn't match at all, multiple colored strewn across her body and her shirt slightly tattered.

"How old are you?" the woman asked, her hand reaching out to try and touch Shilo's face before she instinctively backed away from the woman's unfamiliar fingers.

"S-Seventeen." Shilo answered, slightly reluctant to answer any of this stranger's questions.

The woman snickered a bit and her mouth crooked up to what Shilo could only imagine was an attempt at a smile. "So young." she said, her words slurring a bit as she spoke. "I had my first surgery at thirteen. Thanks to Z I couldn't feel or remember a thing." She paused slightly, sucking in some air between her teeth and cracking her neck. "A month later...I was turning tricks." The woman spotted Graves and began to move towards him slowly, eager to get her product.

Shilo shuttered a bit at the thought of the woman naked and attempted to shake the image from her head, turning her head to look at Graves, who was fawning over one of the other prostitutes before the blonde interrupted him, stroking his chest lightly and saying something to him that Shilo couldn't hear.

Graves gave the woman a small smile and reached in his pocket, clinking his vials together and causing the entire alley to go silent. Each and every face was staring at Graves, and Shilo looked around curiously, wondering what exactly was going on.

Graves pulled a single vial of blue glowing liquid from his pocket and held it up in the air, causing nearly every woman in the alley crowd around him and kneel at his feet, making desperate moans and pleading for their fix. "Is this what you were waiting for?" Graves asked, playing with the woman a bit before he extracted his gun from his other pocket.

Shilo watched curiously, ducking behind a nearby pillar and trying to remain out of view. Was he a...drug dealer? "W-What's that?" she asked, looking only at Graves and trying to ignore the numerous women that were now glaring at her as if the mere sound of her voice annoyed them to their very core.

Graves loaded the vial into the gun and held it up for the entire alley to see, all the woman staring up at it with begging eyes. "Zydrate." he said, looking over at Shilo. "Z, or rather a street form of it." he said, gazing down at the woman that had spoken to Shilo and placing the mouth of the gun against her neck. He pulled the trigger and a small hissing sound came from the gun, the woman swooned and closed her eyes, laying on the ground and running her hands along her body before slowly stopping any and all movement.

Graves checked both the woman's hands before finally finding her payment and selecting it from her hand, placing it in his pocket and moving on to the next woman. After he had served a few, two men emerged from one of the sub alleys followed by a woman a very revealing black outfit, the heels of her boots clicking against the concrete as she walked briskly towards the crowd of women.

"Move!" she shouted, pushing a couple women out of her way and stopping in front of Graves. She pushed him slightly. "Were's my stuff you worthless piece of trash." she said forcefully, giving him another shove and pressing him against the wall. "I paid hours ago."

Graves stared back at her briefly before his back contacted with the wall. He pushed back at her in retaliation, his hands grasping her sides as he spun her towards the wall and pressed her against the wall. He placed both hand on the wall next to her, his face inches from hers. "I wouldn't push me if I were you, Mrs. Sweet." he said, a bit to his tone. "Just because you have needs that are greater than others due to your...addiction...doesn't mean you get to demand when there is no supply."

After he finished speaking, the two men grabbed his arms, pulling him away from the wall. Graves shoved their hands off him and began to walk away, glaring over his shoulder at Amber Sweet, laughing as her guards checked on her. To rub the issue in her face a little more, Graves began to serve yet another customer, the obvious decrease of his supply showing in the small vial as he gave the woman a shot and the liquid depleted a little more.

In a desperate attempt to win over his attention and generosity, Amber gave her guards a simple nod and walked in front of Graves, her hands trailing over her own torso. "Please." she plead with him, touching her breasts and stomach. "Graverobber, I can be a very generous girl. Give me what I need," she said, stepping towards him and running her finger from Graves's chest down to his waistline. "And I'll give you want you need." She bit her lip and stared down at his waist, her hand gently gliding over the bulge in his pants.

Graves gave her a soft smirk and pushed her up against the wall behind her, trailing his hands and the gun along the exposed flesh of her stomach. He knelt before her, pushing her thighs apart and dragging the tip of the gun along the apex of her thighs before finally shooting a dose into her upper leg.

Amber slunk down against the wall, her mouth twisting into a smile and her eyes fluttering closed. She moaned with satisfaction and slowly drifted off, her hands roaming about her stomach. Graves capped his gun, extracting the empty vial from the chamber and placing the gun back in his pocket. He tossed the vial into a nearby trash can, looking about the alley way.

Shilo hand been watching part in horror and part in curiosity. She walked slowly over towards Graves, her gaze falling on the leather clad woman curled up against the wall. As Graves moved behind her, she heard him whistle a familiar tone, one that she had heard many times from the speakers on her small TV in her bedroom. Her head spun around and smiled at him. "That's Blind Mag's song." she said, a surprised tone to her voice.

Blind Mag had been Shilo's role model for as long as she could remember. Shilo remembered sitting by her window on many an occasion listening to the faint sound of Mag singing at the yearly GeneCo expo, her voice carrying beautifully through the air. She remembered watching Mag on her TV in commercials and interviews, absorbing as much information as she could from the confines of her bedroom.

Before Graves could utter a word, Amber perked up, as if the very sound of the tune had annoyed her to her very core. "Who did that?" she asked, her eyes flickering open and staring at every face in the alley with piercing eyes. Amber hated Mag and the spotlight that she hogged. She attempted to stand her legs slightly buckling beneath her as her guards rushed to her sides to help her up. As she looked about the alley, her eyes met Graves as he pointed a finger at the small girl with black hair at his side.

Amber's rage immediately turned towards the girl. "Oh, so you think Mag can sing?" she started, moving towards the girl and shaking loose of her guards grip on her arm. "You think you're slick. Well," she said, a small smirk coming across her face. "It's finally my turn. My turn to shine. My turn to have the spot light." She kept her gaze on the girl for a few more seconds before thrusting a magazine she'd collected from one of her guards into the girl's hands. "Once the repo man strikes." Amber began to walk away, snickering menacingly as her guards escorted her out of the alley way, slightly tripping on her own feet.

Shilo watched the woman walk down the alley before turning her attention to the folded up booklet in her hand, carefully examining the cover before flipping through the pages to find the article about her idol. Her eyes quickly sped through the words on the page, her pupils widening in disbelief as she read. "M-Mag's leaving?" she said quietly, praying that it wasn't true.

Graves moved to her side and looked down at the magazine. "There's, uh, there's rumors circulating that Mag's contract holds her to the company by more than just her service." He scanned Shilo's face as she peered up at him, noting that she was terribly confused and then continued. "People seem to think that her eyes are part of that contract." he said, placing his hand on her shoulder and leading her down the narrow alley towards the main road. "And her leaving the company could lead to a repossession. At least, that's what the rumors say." His head spun around as he heard a whistle chime through the air behind him, and he began to move him and Shilo swiftly out of the alley way as it filled with police. The men shouted and demanded that the women tell them where the graverobber went to, each refusing to give up their dealer.

Graves and Shilo moved quickly, ducking in and out of alleys as they attempted to avoid being caught. As they moved, Shilo couldn't shake the gut wrenching feeling in her stomach. Just the thought of someone getting a body part taken from them made her feel sick to her stomach. Graves eyed a passing garbage truck and ran after it, Shilo following closely behind him as he hoped onto the back and helped Shilo onto it as well, safety riding through the city and away from the commotion in the alleys.


	7. Chapter 7

As the stench ridden truck neared her home, Shilo locked eyes with Graves and flashed him a small smile. She hopped off the edge of the back of the truck and landed just before the front door of her home, looking back at him once more as he bowed to her. The truck pulled away, turning down the next street and disappearing from view. "Goodbye...friend." Shilo whispered to herself before turning back towards the door in front of her. She grasped the door knob gently, turning it slowly and softly pushing the large door open. She prayed to god it didn't squeak. As the light from within her house flooded her eyes, she squinted slightly, her pupils adjusting to the light. Her father didn't appear to be home. Thank god, she thought. She closed the door softly and moved to the stairs, preparing to climb the and return to her room for the night.

"And where have you been?" A dark voiced said from behind her.

Shilo froze, her hand tightly grasping the rail. Without turning to greet the voice, she spoke. "I-I...I went to visit mother." she said, hoping that she was speaking to the one person that might understand.

"I see." the voice said coolly. "And, uh," he paused, walking directly behind her but leaving enough space between them for her to move. "Why exactly did you not think to inform me of your whereabouts?" A hand grazed her shoulder lightly, removing a few strands of hair from it and placing them behind her head. "And why did you think you were permitted to leave without permission?"

She wanted to run. Run up the stairs and lock herself in her bathroom until morning. Frozen in fear, she continued to tremble, still no inkling of whether or not she was safe. "I-I'm sorry. I just. I didn't think..."

"Didn't think?" he interrupted her. "Didn't think that the rules I've put in place apply?" A long, uncomfortable silence fell upon them, each second becoming more discomforting. "Or didn't think at all, like your idiot of a father?"

Shilo's heart sank, a tear she had not realized was forming falling onto her cheek. Her throat felt like it was going to close up and never open again. As his hand fell upon her shoulder again, she let out a quiet sob.

"Perhaps, we need to..." he paused again, moving closer to her and placing his other hand around her waist. "Remind you of the rules of this house."  
Her eyes burst with tears, her knees nearly giving out on her and her chest filled with such pressure she felt it might burst. As his unwanted hands traveled around her quivering body, Shilo felt something she hadn't felt all day. Regret. She regretted coming home. She regretted coming in through the front door. She regretted leaving in the first place.

"Let us see if we can," he brought his face next to her ear, pulling her closer to him and nibbling at her ear. "Jostle those rules back into that pretty little head of yours." Breathing heavily, he began to move her limp body, shoving her against the banister of the stair case and nipping at her vulnerable neck. His hands roamed where they pleased and his tongue darted across her skin, the damp he left behind as his mouth moved feeling similar to acid on her flesh.

Tears continued to fall down Shilo's cheeks, though she made no sound. Why me? she thought to herself, clenching at the banister behind her and praying this would all be over quickly.

A sharp tug at her hair jolted her from her mind. Her feared housemate tossing her up the stairs. "Move." he said, following closely behind her. "Now."  
Shilo climbed the stairs as slowly as he would permit her to, his heavy steps echoing behind her like war drums. He lead her down the small hallway that lead to her bedroom, pictures of her mother staring into her soul with looks of disgust and disappointment. She hung her head down, watching her feet and looking up only to open the door to the tainted room in which she slept.

"Please me, precious." he said, locking the door behind him as if someone would walk in unannounced.

Shilo recognized the command, the same sentence she had heard for years that ordered her to remove her clothing. She began the process, his dark eyes watching her every move as he stalked toward her slowly. Once the final garment lay on the floor, he lunged at her, tossing her down on the bed and removing his belt. He bound her hands, attaching the thick leather strap to her bed frame and ensuring that it was secure.

Her throat dry and her eyes producing more tears than she thought possible, Shilo averted her eyes. She stared out the window at the black night sky, praying the sun would rise so that he might go away. A rustling sound fell over her as article after article of his clothing hit the floor at her bed side.

"Get up." he said lunging over her and removing the tie of the belt at the head board. He lead her towards the end of the bed reattaching his belt to the bed frame and positioning her in a way that please him most. She was bent over the bed, her bare thighs grazing the chilly, wooden bed frame and the cold in the room nipping at every inch of her tender flesh. He disappeared for only a moment, his presence only revealed by his hands roaming around her back side. "So soft. So sweet, precious."

Shilo choked back tears, her mind desperately searching for something other than the current events to think about. His touch made her cringe and the mere thought of him having her never failed to make her sick to her stomach. His labored breaths behind her drew closer to her back, his teeth digging into the raw skin between her shoulder blades as one hand snaked up her torso to play with her breasts, toys of his own that he had claimed without permission.

"So, beautiful." he said huskily, as if biting her and toying with her as he pleased had caused him to run out of breath. Without another word, both hands ran along her skin, grasping at the flesh on her backside before the unwanted and unwelcome pulse of his member made contacted with her vulva, lingering for only a few seconds before her immersed himself into her heat.

Shilo heard the poisonous groan of pleasure escape his mouth as he began to have his way with her. Her mind raced trying to think of somewhere to go. As his demonic thrusts from behind began, she found her answer.

One.

Graves sat upon his favorite tombstone in the graveyard, staring up at the moon in the night sky and fiddling with a vile of Z. His hair shimmered in the moon light, the streaks of blue and purple only illuminated by the bright, white light of the full moon.

Two.

He turned his head as he heard her coming and smiled at her, hoping off his perch and walking towards her. The smile never left his face as he came close to her and reached down the take her hand. "M'lady."

Three.

He raised her hand to his mouth and gave it a soft kiss, his eyes never leaving their locked position with hers. "Shall we?" he asked motioning towards the path that went through the many tombs around them.

Four.

Shilo followed her companion and looked around her as they walked. While the graveyard was a sad place, it was also beautiful. The gravestones riddled with delicate and intricate carvings of flowers, angels, crosses, and many other things. Small groupings of flowers were scattered throughout the graveyard, they're small amount of color standing out among black of the ground and night sky.

"And how are we this evening?" Graves asked, his arm snaking gently through hers and linking them together. He brought his other hand across him, placing it softly on her hand and escorting her down the moonlit path before them.

Shilo perked up and looked up at him, his eyes sparkling with kindness and his smile making her slightly blush. "I've been worse." she said, chuckling lightly before looking back towards the path in front of them.

They walked through the yard for what seemed like hours, combing through the stones and tombs as if nothing laid in their path. Graves stopped them slowly, his arm removing itself from hers and stepping back a bit. "I must part ways with you now, Shilo." he said, his fingers gently grazing the backs of her hands.

"But I just got here! I can't leave. I can't go back to that." she said, her eyes slowly filling with tears.

"Shh." he said, his hand raising up to her cheek and caressing it softly. "We'll meet again, kid." He released her completely, walking backwards away from her and bright light over coming her eyes.

Shilo awoke from her day dream, strewn across here bed like a rag doll and her body aching with the after math of the activity she had desperately tried to forget about. She dared not move, fearful that any movement would either result in immense pain or a sound lashing.

The rest of the night seemed to drag on forever, the dark presence that masqueraded as her father doing what he pleased with her as many times as he saw fit. She cried, screamed, and even flailed, every attempt to get this nightmare to end failing.


	8. Chapter 8

Awaking once again in pain and discomfort, Shilo slowly climbed out of bed and made her way to her bathroom. She didn't bother grabbing several articles of clothing to change into. She didn't plan on going anywhere any time soon. With the memory of the previous night still fresh in her mind, his warning stuck with her. She wouldn't leave. She couldn't. She couldn't go through that again. It was hard enough having no choice but to allow him whatever pleasures he desired, but this time it was a lesson, an example of what would happen should he catch her out of the house again. The water from the faucet spewed into the basin of the shower, slowly warming up to the temperature she desired while she began to undress. Each movement of her arms and legs made her cringe, new and unwanted cramping shuttering though her body after each limb was released from the prison of her clothes.

The water nearly the temperature she preferred for a shower, Shilo plugged the faucet, forcing the water to reroute itself to the shower head above. She pulled the curtain closed, examining her torso in the slightly fogged mirror and finding nearly every mark he had left on her. She averted her eyes, the bruises and hand prints to painful to look at.

Nathan busied himself in his study, his square framed glasses perched on his nose. His medical journal sat in front of him on the desk, his ball point pen scribbling across the tan-colored paper with ease and dexterity. He dropped his pen on the small book, his hand traveling up underneath his glasses and gently pushing them up and out of the way. His slender fingers rubbed his sore eyes for a few seconds before releasing his glasses again and sitting back in his chair, his hand resting in his lap.

The small communicator on the desk began to vibrate softly, an electronic voice repeating a message over and over.  _Incoming message from Rotti Largo. Incoming message from Rotti Largo._  Nath groaned softly and rolled his eyes, sitting up and reaching over to grab the small device. He pressed a small button on the side to stop the incessant message and a tiny hologram emerged from the screen.  _Nathan Wallace come to my office at once._  "Good god, what now?" he stood up from his chair, pushing it back to allow him to move away from the desk freely.

Shilo had finished with her shower, a towel wrapped around her body to shield her from the chill of the air in her bedroom. She tossed her nightgown in the hamper behind her bedroom door, then moved out into her bedroom. She paused momentarily, glancing over at the door and listening for a moment to ensure that she was alone, then continued walking in the direction of her dresser. As she fumbled through her drawers in an attempt to find something suitable to wear, she tried to keep her mind occupied so it wouldn't wander into dangerous ideas, like leaving again. A knock at her door startled her and she froze, unable to move or speak for fear that even the slightest sound would alert him of her presence.

"Shi?" Nathan said through the closed door. He tried at the hand once, only to find that it was locked, then released it.

Shilo let go a silent sigh of relief, but still didn't speak.

"Shi, I have to run out. I'll be back in a few hours." he paused for a moment, turning his head to the side and trying to hear if she was even awake. "Shi?"

"I-I heard you dad." she said, trying to sound as normal as possible. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I 'll let you know if I need anything."

"Alright." Nathan said, quietly. He backed away from the door at first, then turned and walked hurriedly down the hallway, checking his watch as he rounded the corner and marched down the stairs.

Shilo remained quiet until she heard the heavy front door close and lock behind her father. After a few moments of waiting to ensure that he was actually gone, Shilo quickly grabbed a an outfit, ripping off her towel and scrabbling into her clothing. She snatched her wig from it's respective place next to her bed and hurried out her room and down the hallway. As she quickly moved down the stairs, the smile that had been on her face withered away, and her pace slowed. What are you doing? She stopped at the bottom of the stair case, glancing over at her secret passage to her mother's tomb, salty tears stinging the back of her eyes. She hung her head and moved over to the kitchen door, slowly opening it and moving through the small crack.

Graves was making his daily run, meeting his perspective clients in the same location he always met them. However, something about his walk was different today. Shilo's house was on his route, and he just so happened to remember where it was.  _Don't be stupid, man. She probably doesn't even remember you._  He strolled through the alleyways until he was just across from the house in question, and looked over at the house. There weren't many windows, and the ones that were there were either on the top floor, boarded up, or had absolutely no light behind them. As he turned to leave, one window became illuminated with light, and a small figure caught his eye. A young girl, with jet black hair and a small frame was walking around what seemed to be a kitchen. He watched her with interest. Was it her, or just someone that looked strangely like her.

Shilo opened the door to the fridge, bending down so she could examine it's contents. Finding nothing of interest, she settled for a few pieces of lightly buttered bread. She retrieved the butter from the fridge and closed the door behind her, grabbing the half loaf of bread that was left as she moved to the small table in the middle of the room. She placed the butter and the bread on the table top and in one swift move turned and retrieve a small butter knife from a drawer to her left.

Graves watched in silence, trying to decide if he should knock on her door or just leave her be until they met again by chance. "What is she doing?" he asked himself quietly, watching her move about the kitchen with little to no emotion. He caught sight of the bread and ruffled his nose. "Bread." he said, his tone hinting at disinterest and slight boredom. "She's eating...bread. How terribly bland."

As Shilo took a giant bite of her snack, she peered out the window in front of her, the light from the street lamp outside causing a rainbow-like glare on the glass pane. She continued to snack on her bread, watching the carts and people glide past the window. But then, something caught her eye. A dark familiar looking figure in the alley across the street, she attempted to focus harder to figure out who it could be, but the figured moved out of sight before she got the chance. Slightly creeped out and a little confused, Shilo shrugged her shoulders and began to clear the table of her scraps and soiled dishes. She quietly hummed to herself, moving about the kitchen and placing everything where it belonged. She moved back over to the table after setting her dishes in the sink and tucked her chair neatly back underneath the large oak structure.

Graves carefully peeked around the corner again, checking to see if he had successfully avoided being caught spying on her. Noting that she was busying herself with tidying the kitchen, he let out a soft sigh of relief and backed away from the alleys opening. He continued to move backwards until his back made contact with the wall behind him, resting his head on the cold stone and crossing his across his chest. Why couldn't he get her out of his head? She wasn't all that interesting. He didn't even know her that well. And yet, ever since the night before, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He took one last look across the empty street, watching the leggy brunette leave the kitchen and turn out the light. With a shallow sigh, Graves turned and began to walk down the alley towards his next transaction point, his head hung gently between his shoulders as he watched his feet move along the cobble stone, trying desperately not to think of Shilo.

Shilo skipped up the stairs, finishing the last bit of toast in her hand as she climbed. She floated down the narrow hallway plastered with her mother's photographs, ceasing her joyful walk only when she entered her room, meet with darkness, a cold wind, and her father standing in the middle of her floor, arms crossed in front of him.


	9. Chapter 9

His tall, parental posture set Shilo slightly at ease. Though, there was still the matter that he had caught her out of her room. She was usually very cautious when it came to things like this, given the fact that sometimes, more often than not, her punishment was far worse than any other child received from their parental figures. She could do nothing but stand completely still and stare blankly back at her father through the darkness that seemed to consume her entire bedroom. He did not look happy, then again, he had never really looked all that happy to begin with. Every once in a while, Shilo would catch him smirking at a photo graph or a letter he received in the mail. But, for the most part, they just went about their day to day lives, seeming to ignore the fact that the majority of the rest of the population always seemed to exchange a smile or two between each other and even strangers.

"Where have you been?" Nathan sneered at her, his arms still wrapped around each other in front of his broad chest.

"I haven't gone anywhere father. I've been in the house all day." Shilo tried to sound as innocent as possible, hoping that her docile tone and naive manner would save her from a lecture from her father or the wrath of the hidden evil inside him.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Shilo!" he snapped, his arms falling to his sides swiftly and heavily as he spoke. "Why were you...how did you even get out!? And why aren't you wearing your mask? You the dangers you put yourself in every time you leave your room. These rules are in place for a reason you know. It's for your protection!"

Shilo hung her head down and stared at the floor, or at least what she could see of it. The pale light of the moon streaming in from her very small, curtain covered windows didn't offer much illumination. Suddenly, the floor beneath her feet became clear. Shilo slowly brought her head up, her eyes scanning the floor between herself and her father and following the line of his legs and stomach until her eyes met with his. The light on her ceiling brought light to her room and to her father's face. "I'm sorry, father." she said quietly, her gaze dropping back to the floor after she had finished speaking.

Nathan stood silently for a few moments, simply staring at the mat black top of his daughter head. He was experiencing an internal conflict. Should he hold his ground and attempt to make Shilo understand his reasoning for keeping her locked up or yield to his beloved daughters gentle nature. With a sigh, Nathan took a few steps towards her, reaching out and grasping her shoulder. "Shi, I..." he said softly, gently rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. "I just worry about you, sweetheart. I don't want you getting hurt."

Shilo looked up and into his eyes, desperately wanting to be able to hold there forever and give him the affection he obviously desired from her. Her gaze quickly bolted from his, his soft eyes and loving stare only reminding her of the many traumatic encounters she had endured with his internal evil. "I know." she said, quietly, afraid that if she said more he would be able to hear the tremble in her voice.

Nathan sighed quietly and removed his heavy hand from his daughter's shoulder. "I just want you to be safe." he said, almost in a whisper. "I love you, Shi." After a few moments of silence, Nathan began to walk towards the door, his eyes outlining the path he would take on the floor in front of him. As he reached the door he turned ever so slightly and peered over his shoulder at the back of his daughter's head. "Please try to begin to understand that I do this because I love you, not because I'm trying to be cruel." His speech was interrupted by a harsh squeak that came from his throat. Choking back tears, Nathan bit his fist. "I can't lose you too, Shi."

As Shilo heard he father close the door behind him as he left, a single tear fell down her pale cheek, tracing her cheek bone and settling in the small dimple at the corner of her mouth. She quickly wiped it away and took a deep breath through her nose, attempting to calm herself as much as possible so that she may get some sleep tonight. With legs seeming to be filled with concrete, Shilo crawled into her soft bed and threw the blankets over her head, immersing herself in a dark, warm cave of cloth and drifting off to sleep. And with sleep, came a dream. A dream she would remember for a long time, one that gave her hope of a better life.

Shilo found herself sitting at her kitchen table, steam rising from a bowl of hot soup that was set out in front of her. She looked across the table to find her father sitting there, his mouth shaped into the most loving smile Shilo had ever seen. She smiled back at him, then began to eat her soup, a soft wind playing at her hair. She raised her hand to move a strand of her hair behind her ear when she realized: the wind softly blowing through the room was coming from an open window to her right, the sweet smell of autumn filling the kitchen and the hair she was brushing across her face no longer felt dull and dry, but soft and alive. She didn't feel tired or scared, but happy and full of energy. She was no longer plagued with the horrid sickness that she had endured her entire life and the soft black strands of air that fell around her face were her own, draping down from the top of her head like a waterfall.

Shilo had just finished her soup when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure at the far end of the kitchen. A female figure, chopping vegetables at the counter and humming a gentle tune. She glanced back at her father, his own gaze turning towards the lovely woman at the other end of the room. He stood, collecting Shilo's bowl and his own before walking towards the woman. He placed the dishes gently down on the counter, then wrapped his arms around the woman and kissed her cheek, humming her song along with her and swaying back and forth to the rhythm they were now both setting.

Se watched her father slowly begin to spin the woman, taking her into his arms and twirling her around the room, her face buried in his neck and her hands entwined in his hair. They seemed to hover above the floor, feet barely moving as they swayed back and forth. All Shilo could do was smile, letting out a gentle sigh and watching as her dream blurred, the comforting picture and feeling fading away as her eyes cracked open and the sun from her bedroom window stung her eyes.


End file.
